RTPI committed to help find answers to Grenfell Tower fire

The RTPI has agreed to provide full support and expertise to the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) Independent Expert Advisory Panel through the Construction Industry Council (CIC).  

The CIC's 36 members representing the built environment professions have come together to provide wider expert input to the Government on how to make buildings safe following the Grenfell Tower fire. They have agreed a joined up approach to: 

• provide full support and a wide range of expertise to the DCLG Independent Expert Advisory Panel;
• be an active member of  the Industry Response Group, established by Government, to review the solutions to ensure buildings are safe and the supply chain capability to cope with a rapid upsurge in remedial and refurbishment work that is likely to follow the Grenfell tragedy;
• develop a systemic review of the procurement, design, construction and management of housing and buildings in which people live, in order to provide practical solutions for improvement with particular regard to fire safety. Malcolm Sharp MRTPI, member of the RTPI English Policy Panel and former President of the Planning Officers Society, will lead the Institute’s input to this review.
• consider the application of these solutions to other building types.  

RTPI producing guide on development control and fire safety

Since the fire there has been interest from both the public and elected councillors about the role of planning in fire safety. Working with other local authority experts, the RTPI will put together a definitive guide to how local authorities deal with development control and fire safety.This will either form part of the CIC-led review or complement it.

The guide should be helpful to our members and other built environment professionals as well as anyone seeking to understand how this works. It will consider:

• the respective roles of planning, building control, and the fire service
• interrelationships between these groups
• opportunities for improving coordination between them to promote fire safety

Trudi Elliott, RTPI Chief Executive, said: “The devastating fire at Grenfell Tower has posed a number of serious questions about fire safety and the RTPI is committed to doing everything it can to answer them.”

If any member wishes to contact us about this process, or feel they can contribute expertise, please get in touch.